Pages

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

All the glitters...Certainly is

Josephine loved all that was beautiful. This included not only fine clothes, but also jewelry. After the Revolution, business for jewelers, artists, and fashion designers (couturiers), was grim. Luxuries were obviously not the first thing on everyone’s mind. Nonetheless, these people too, needed to survive; Josephine became instrumental in supporting many artists throughout this downfall. Lucky for some, she discovered their talents and for others, she became their patron.

Although, the Empress was a trend setter with exquisite taste, her generosity had no limits...even when it came to precious gems. Josephine was known to give rings off her fingers to subjects, servants or even messengers, as a gesture of gratitude for a particular service rendered.

Even if today,some of Josephine's vast collection of jewelry is covetly displayed in prestigious museums; most of it was passed down to her daughter Hortense and her descendants for generations of successive queens to wear…with the exception of Empress Marie Louise, who(audaciously) got to wear Josephine’s diadem of brilliants on the day of Napoleon’s son, ‘Little King’s baptism…